Fastening means for corrugated sheet material



Jan. 12, 1954 A. B. HAMMITT ETAL 2,665,780

FASTENING MEANS FOR CORRUGATED SHEET MATERIAL Filed Jan. 27, 1951 INVENTORS ANDREW 8. HAM/W 7'7 BYHERBERT LB/RU/Vde.

14 7'7'0/?A/E Y Patented Jan. 12, 1954 OFFICE FASTENING MEANS FOR CORRUGATED SHEET MATERIAL Andrew B. Hammitt, Trenton, and Herbert L. Birum, J r., Titusville, N. J.

Application January 27, 1951, Serial No. 208,124

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for attaching sheet material to building framework elements and is directed particularly to fastening means for securing corrugated metal roofing and siding sheets to structural iron framework.

Clips and fastening means heretofore provided for securing metal sheet material to the structural iron framework of a building have been so designed that they were engageable only with a flange'which faced upward or extended horizontally so that the weight of the sheet material would urge the clip downward into retaining engagement with the flange. However, situations are frequently encountered in which the only available flange for receiving the fastening means faces downward in a direction to cause the weight of the sheet to urge the fastening means off the lower edge of the flange. Under such conditions special fastening means have been required which often had to be fabricated on the job.

An even greater objection to prior fastening means used in securing corrugated sheet material to a building framework is the excessive labor required since it has been necessary to have workmen on both the interior and the exterior of the building to apply and tighten bolts and nuts or to back up a riveting'operation' In accordance with the present invention a new type of fastening means is provided which is universally applicable to channel iron, angle iron or I-beam members wherein the flanges face either upward or downward in the framework structure. These advantages are attained by forming the fastening means as a clip with a rivet carrying bearing portion provided at one end with a hook-shaped flange engaging part and provided at the opposite end with a. resilient retaining portion which is engageable with a web or flange to hold the clip in place.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel type of roofing fastener which can be attached and the roofing secured by a workman operating exclusively above or outside the roof or walls. Another object of the invention is to provide a roofing fastener which can be quickly applied to a frame member such as a purlin or girt, and quickly secured to the roofing sheets.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a roofing fastener which can be used with flanged girts, and as readily with the flange disposed in one direction as in the other direction.

"Another-object ofthe invention is to provide 2 a roofing fastener which includes a stud or rivet and in which the head of the rivet is disposed upon the outer surface of the girt where it is firmly backed for the riveting operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roofing fastener which is of simple construction, easy to manufacture and use; and particularly to provide a fastener having a rivet inserted in a hole of a clip and the head retained by an element which is turned back so as to stand over the head to keep the rivet from falling out before the fastener is used, whether or not the rivet fits tightly in its hole.

Another object is to provide a roofing fastener which snaps into position on a girt but which is so formed and secured in the region of the stud or rivet which attaches the roofing that very great resistance is provided against the separation of the roofing sheets from the girts or framework.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

Fig. l is a top view of a roof having corrugated sheets secured in place by fasteners embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a girt, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through another girt, thesection being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; f Fig. 4 is a vertical section s'milar to Figs. 2 and 3, but showing an I-beam girt;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3 but omitting the roof sheet and showing a fastener in the process of being placed on a girt;

Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. 5 but showing the fastener after it has been placed on a girt and before the roof sheet has been secured;

131g. '7 is an isometric view of a fastener alone; an

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of a fastener at'a stage during its manufacture when the rivet is being inserted in a hole in the clip.

In that form of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration the fastening means are employed in a roofing assembly including the girts or structural framework elements 2, 4, 6 and 8 and successive courses of corrugated roofing sheets. The sheets are arranged in courses with the upper edges of sheets l0, l2 and I4 overlapped by the lower edges of the sheets I6, I8 and 20. As shown at 22 in Fig. 3 the overlapping portions of the sheets of the upper and lower courses are preferably located adjacent the purlins or framework elements so that the fastening means serve to secure the sheets of adjacent courses in place. However, intermediately arranged fastening means shown at 24 may also be used to secure the sheets to the framework elements at one or more points between the ends of the sheets.

The fastening means shown at 24 and 26 in Fig. 1 are preferably identical in construction and are illustrated on an enlarged scale in Fig. '7 and will be hereafter referred to generally by the reference numeral 26. Each fastener embodies a clip portion 28 and a stud portion 3%. The clip portion is preferably in the form of av strap of metal having a central bearing part 32 formed at one end with a reversely turned hooked end 34 and provided at the opposite end with a substantially right angularly extending retaining part 36. The bearing portion 32 has an opening 38 therein positioned near the hook shaped end 34 for receiving the stud portion 36. The stud has a shank 40 with a head 42 and a rivet member 44. The shank 40 extends through the opening 38in the bearing part 32 of the clip so that the head 42 of the stud portion is located below the bearing part 32 and above the hook shaped end 34. The shank 45 preferably has a forced fit in the opening 38 so that it is securely held in place in the bearing part of the clip, but if desired the stud may be allowed to remain loose or it may be welded or otherwise secured in place. The shank and rivet member of the stud will then extend upward from the upper surface of the bearing part of the clip into position to allow the rivet member to extend through openings in the sheet material. At the same time the shoulder 48 on the shank above which the rivet member extends serves as a support engaging the crest of a corrugation in the sheet material.

The retaining part 36 of the clip is formed with an inwardly projecting detent 48 and the lower extremity of the retaining part is preferably turned outward slightly as indicated at 50. The clip may be applied as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 by applying the hook shaped end 34 to the free edge 52 of the flange 54 on one of the structural framework members after which the retaining portion 36 may be pressed downward so as to be sprung into retaining engagement with the opposite side of the flange with the detent 48 bearing against the web 56. As illustrated in Fig. 4 when the fastening means is applied to an I- beam the detent 48 projects inward below the edge :58 of the top flange 59 of an I-beam to hold the fastening means in place. Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the clip may be applied with equal effectiveness to channel iron members presenting a flange extending upward or downward. Moreover as will be apparent from Figs. 5 and 6. the clip may be applied to an angle iron member, and in any of the locations in which it is placed the hook shaped end serves to embrace the free. edge of a flange while the retaining portion 36 serves to engage the opposite edge of the flange or framework element in almanner to hold the strap portion securely in p ace.

The arrangement of the stud portion of the fastening means is such that the head 42 of the stud is located beneath the bearing part 32 and in position to bear directly against the outer face of the flange to which the fastening means is applied. The flange itself thus backs up the stud member so that effective riveting of the 4 sheet material into place can be accomplished by burring or turning over the projecting extremity of the rivet member 44 extending through the openings in the sheet material.

In using the fastening means of the present invention the stud member 30 is passed through the opening 38 in the bearing part 32 of the clip member as shown in Fig. 8. Thereafter the hook-shaped end 34 is turned under so .as to prevent downward displacement or loss of the stud portion of the fastening means even though the stud member should be loose within the opening 38 in the bearing part of the clip portion. This forming and assembling of the elements of the fastening means is preferably done by the manufacturer and the whole fastener can then be shipped and handled as a unit without danger of losing the stud member or requiring fabrication operations by the applier.

The fastening means are applied to the girts or purlins in any desired location before the sheets are moved into place and by workmen standing or seated on the framework elements. They are placed in position in the manner de-' scribed above and as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and they may be moved lengthwise of the purlins or framework elements by taping the strap portion so as to slide it along the element from one position to another. If it isrdesired to remove the fastening means from a framework element a screw driver or other tool may be inserted, un-

der the outwardly turned extremity 50 of the retaining part 36 so as to disengage the detent 48 and allow the clip to be tilted upward and forward off the framework element.

When the fastening means have been suitably arranged on the girts or purlins the sheet ma.- terial is placed over the fastening means with the rivet member 44 of each fastening means projecting through an opening in the sheet material. At the same time the shoulder 46 on the shank of each stud member extends upward from the fastening means to the crest of a corrugation in the sheet material so as to support the sheet material adjacent the opening through which the rivet member extends. A cover plate. or washer such as that shown at 60 in Fig. 7 is then applied over the sheet material and the projecting extremity of the rivet member is burred or turned over so as to secure the cover member 60 and the sheet material to the stud portion of the fastening means. During such riveting or burring operation the head 42 of the stud member is held firmly in place by the bearing portion of the fastening means and the stud; itself is backed up by the flange of the framework element engaged by the head 42 thereof. Riveting can thus be effected quickly and easily by workmen standing on the sheet material and the sheet material is firmly secured in place.

Any number of fastening means maybe employed for securing the sheets in position, and as shown in Fig. 1 certain 'of the fastening means may serve to secure the overlapping portions of two sheets in place, whereas other fastening means serve to secure intermediate portions of the sheet material to intermediate girts or purlins. Driven fasteners or other means may be applied as indicated at 62 .to secure the over lapping longitudinal edges of the sheets together if desired.

All of the operations of applying the fastene; ing means to the structural: framework elements and securing the sheet material to the fastening means can be performed by workmen located on the roof or exterior of the building. Therefore it is not necessary for any workmen to be located on the interior of the building for backing up the stud member during the riveting operation. Furthermore, since no nuts or bolts are used the need for workmen on the interior of the building is eliminated. 7

When the sheet material has been secured in place as described the fastening means serve to prevent displacement of the sheet material, since movement of the sheets in a direction parallel to the plane of thesheets is prevented by the action of the retaining part 36 and the hook shaped end 34 of the clip portion of the fastening means. On the other hand any tendency for the'sheet to bow upwardor move. in a'direction normal'to the plane of the sheets is opposed by the hook shaped end 34 of the clip adjacent to the stud portion of the fastening means. Furthermore, such outward movement of the stud portion with the sheet material tends to bow the bearing part 32 of the fastening means in a manner to urge the detent 48 inward against the opposite side or flange of the structural framework element to which the fastening means is applied. Therefore the fastening means described serves to secure the sheets firmly in place while permitting the use of identical fastening means throughout the structure.

When the sheet material with which the fastening means is employed is formed of relatively thin light-weight material such as aluminum it is not necessary to form the openings in the sheet material prior to the application of the sheets to the fastening means. Under such circumstances the sheets are applied over the fastening means after which the sheet is struck a blow with a rubber mallet which serves to cause the rivet member to penetrate through the sheet so that the sheet is impaled on the rivet member and forced downward into engagement with the shoulder 36 of the shank of the stud portion of the fastening means. Thereafter the cover member 60 is applied over the rivet member and the projecting end of the rivet member is burred or turned over to rivet the sheet securely in place.

When the sheet material is formed of heavier stock the location of the holes to be formed in the sheet material can be readily established by placing the sheets over the fastening means and striking the sheet with a blow sufiicient to indent the material and thereby indicate the points at which the sheet is to be drilled for engagement with the rivet members of the various fastening means.

It will thus be apparent that the fastening means do not have to be accurately applied in any specific locations, but they can be variously located wherever convenient and suitable along the girts and purlins of the structural framework of a building. It will also be apparent that the fastening means used may be identical in form and type no matter what the shape and character of the structural iron used in forming the girts and purlins. It will, however, be apparent that various sizes of fastening means may be used for engagement with framework elements having sheet supporting flanges of different width. Therefore two or three sizes of fastening means of identical type will generally be sufficient to permit the application of sheet material to any location or arrangement of structural framework elements in any building construction.

While a particular and preferred form of fastening means embodying the present invention has been shown and described and its application to building constructions has been explained it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the clip portion and stud portion of the fastening means. Therefore it should be understood that the particular constructions set forth above and shown in the drawings are intended to be illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

We claim: a

1. A building construction embodying a structural framework element with a flange thereon presenting an outer sheet supporting surface, corrugated sheet material engaging said surface and secured in place on the framework element by preformed fastening means made of resilient material and having a clip portion and a stud portion, said clip portion having a bearing part extending across the sheet supporting surface of said flange between adjacent corrugations of the sheet material and provided at one end with a hook-shaped part embracing the free edge of said flange, the opposite end of the bearing part constituting a retaining part and extending substantially at right angles to the bearing part, said retaining part having an inwardly projecting detent thereon engaging the side of the framework element opposite said free edge of the flange, the extremity of the retaining part being inclined outward below said detent and presenting a surface for camming the retaining part outward on application of the fastening means to the framework by pivotal movement about the free edge of the flange from an unsprung initial position of application to a stressed and sprung applied position wherein the retaining part is located adjacent said opposite side of the framework element and the detent is urged forceably inward toward said opposite side of the framework element and serves to retain the fastening means in place by the inherent resiliency of the material of which said fastening means is made, said stud portion projecting upward from said bearing part and having a rivet member thereon extending through the sheet material, the inner end of said stud portion hearing against said sheet supporting surface of the framework element and the outer end of the rivet member being turned over securing the sheet material to said fastening means.

2. A building construction embodying a structural framework element with a flange thereon presenting an outer sheet supporting surface. corrugated sheet material engaging said surface and secured in place on the framework element by preformed fastening means made of resilient material and having a clip portion and a stud portion, said clip portion having a bearing part extending across the sheet supporting surface of said flange between adjacent corrugations of the sheet material and provided at one end with a hook-shaped part embracing the free edge of said flange, the opposite end of the bearing part constituting a retaining part and extending substantially at right angles to the bearing part, said retaining part having an inwardly projecting detent thereon engaging the side of the framework element opposite said free edge of the flange, the extremity of the retaining part being inclined outward below said detent and presenting a surface for camming the retaining part outward on application of the fastening means to the framework by pivotal movement assume 7 about the free edge of the flange from an on sprung initial position of application to a stressed and sprung applied position wherein the retaining part is located adjacent said opposite side 01 the framework element and the detent is urged forceably inward toward said opposite side of the framework element and serves to retain the fastening means in place by the inherent resiliency of the material of which said fastening means is made, said stud portion projecting upward from said bearing part and having a rivet member thereon extending through the sheet material, the inner end of said :stud portion bearing against, said sheet supporting :surface of the framework element. and an elongated coverplate overlying the sheet material and sur- 8 rounding said rivet member, the rivet member being turned at said cover plate securing the sheet material to said fastening means.

ANDREW B- HERBERT L. BIRUM, JR.

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